Convicted human trafficker and illegal gangmaster Ioan Lacatus (40) from Romania jailed pending deportation after PSNI swoop in Portadown

District Judge Bernie Kelly, sitting at Craigavon Magistrates Court today (Friday, February 17), heard from a PSNI officer that Ioan Lacatus (40), despite having been deported from the UK, had been found at the home of his wife and children in Portadown.

A prosecution lawyer told the court: “On Thursday, February 16, PSNI officers made a referral to the Home Office in relation to the Enforcement Department. This was in relation to his immigration status in the UK.

"The PSNI attended an address in Portadown. This was under a warrant and they encountered the defendant at this address.

"The Home Office checks showed that the defendant was issued with a deportation order on January 19, 2017 and he was subsequently deported on the June 19, 2019 after serving his sentence.

"As a subsequent to this, the defendant was arrested for illegally entering the UK in breach of the Importation Order.”

Lacatus’ solicitor said: “The defendant doesn’t try and get behind any silly excuse that he didn’t know this order was in place. He recognises that he spent some two years in custody. He was then issued with the deportation order at Maghaberry Prison so there is nothing to suggest he didn’t know about it.

"He entered the country because his wife and children remain here in the Portadown area.”

District Judge Bernie Kelly asked: “Does he want a flight to Rwanda now?”

Lacatus’ lawyer responded: “No, as he is not making a claim for asylum as far as I know."

Mrs Kelly said: “It is nothing to do with asylum but illegal entrance.”

Lacatus’ lawyer responded: “What happens is that he will be taken to a detention centre possibly in Kent and then …

Mrs Kelly responded: “From Kent they are putting people on planes to Rwanda."

Lacatus’ lawyer responded: “Because he is a Romanian citizen, he should go back to Romania.”

A PSNI officer told the court: “He has also made it clear he will try and come back in."

Mrs Kelly said: “If that is going to be the case then surely he would be going to Rwanda.”

Lacatus’s lawyer said: “You can’t extradite someone from somewhere they are not naturalised in the circumstances."

Mrs Kelly responded saying: “That is not what the Supreme Court said. If you read the Supreme Court decision that is not what they said.”

The defendant’s solicitor said: “This is not an asylum case.” Mrs Kelly responded: “This has nothing to do with asylum. This is to do with illegal immigration.

The district judge added: “I wonder if Mr Lacatus would be as quick to come back if he thought he was going to Rwanda.”

The defence solicitor responded said: “In any event if Your Worship could issue anything from a fine to up to six months custody, what I would be saying is this, regardless of what happens here today he is going to be removed from the country and to send him to custody would just cost the taxpayer £10,000 a week or whatever it is in Maghaberry.”

The PSNI officer told the court: “On the journey back to Banbridge Custody Suite, he said ‘before you deport me I will be back in three days. I go to Romania then Dublin.”

District Judge Mrs Kelly said: “I am aware of that. As and until the Home Office has a solution to that particular problem I don’t think there is anything any of us can do about that. They are working on a solution to that problem. It’s alright if he is sent back to Romania. It might be a different kettle of fish if he is sent to Rwanda for then he has to find a way from Rwanda to Romania which would not be that easy got.”

The judge asked for the defendant’s previous record and a prosecutor referred to his conviction of acting as an unlicensed gangmaster dating back to 2014.

Mrs Kelly said: “Is he not exactly the sort of individual the government are trying to track down and do something about?”

The PSNI officer said: “That would be our fear that he would try and start his organisation and enterprise.”

District Judge Kelly imposed seven days in custody with the £25 Offender Levy.

Following this afternoon’s court hearing, a PSNI spokesperson said: “40-year-old Ioan Lacatus will serve a week in custody, after he was convicted of Knowingly Entering the UK in breach of a deportation order.

"Mr Lacatus received the jail term, after pleading guilty to the offence, at Craigavon Magistrates’ Court. He will also be deported from the UK by the Home Office at a later date.

"Mr Lacatus was previously sentenced to a total of three years and nine months after pleading guilty to a number of offences dating back to 2014. The offences included five counts of trafficking persons into the UK for exploitation, conspiring to traffick persons within the UK for exploitation, acting as an unlicensed gangmaster and converting criminal property in 2016. He was also given a deportation order and was deported from the UK.

"Following reports from the local community that he was back in the area, an investigation by specialist human trafficking investigators, along with Immigration enforcement and the Roads Policing unit led to the arrest of Mr Lacatus. This combined effort has removed a person of concern from the Portadown community.”Detective Sergeant Hyslop said: “If anyone has any concerns about human trafficking in their area we would encourage them to contact police on 101”